Timing mechanism for washing machines



March 21, 1944. T. R. SMITH 2,344,651

TIMING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHI EES Filed Jun 23 1941 4 Sheets-Sheefl 4 I 37 @19 3o 31 /s zzao I 4 INVENTOR.

, flmnaa March 1944- T. R. SMITH 2,344,651

TIMING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed June 23 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" will IIlfiII/ 1N ENTOR. BY fiowm 777/0 t/4 @QWM JOM ATTORNEYJ March 21,1944. R SWTH 2,344,651

TIMING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed June 25; 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

zwms $774266 2 C 5$ March 21, 1944. sMlTH 2,344,651

TIMING MECHANISM FOR WASHING MIACQINES Filed June 23, 19.41 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V ENTOR.

fiornms 7% ATTORNEYJ Patented Mar. 21, 1944 UNITED STATE of Delaware TIMING MECHANISM MAC roa wasnmc HINES Thomas It. Smith, Newton, Iowa, assignor to The Maytag Company, Newton, Iowa, a corporation Application June 23, 1941, Serial No. 399,366

6 Claims. (01. 192-439) The present invention relates to timing mechanism and especially mechanism adapted for positively controlling and timing the washing operation in a laundry machine. Although most washing machine manufacturers provide printed follow in the length of time required for washing various garments or articles of laundry, these instructions are seldom followed. Generally, the housewife busies herself with other matters during the washing operation such as wringing or hanging out a previously washed batch of clothes and fails to appreciate the length of time the machine has been operating. Consequently she allows the clothes to remain in the machine for a period longer than that required or desired for the washing operation. Or, as frequently happens, the housewife must leave her machine to answer the door or telephone, and fails or forgets to disconnect power to the machine or stop its washing operation.

By the present invention, after the housewife has set the machine to operate for a desired period of time, the novel timing mechanism automatlcally stops the washing operation when that period has been reached. This assures uniform cleansing and completionof the washing in a minimum period of time.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, efficiency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

The invention further resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and while I have shown therein a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change, and comprehends other details, arrangements of parts, features and constructions without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, part in side elevation and part in vertical cross section. of a washing machine equipped with the novel timing mechanism.

'Figure 2 is an enlarged view, part in side elevation'and part in vertical cross section, through the control knob and universal connection for the timing device.

Figure 3 is a view in front elevation of the control knob.

instructions for the housewife or laundress to Figure 4 is an enlarged view, part in side or end elevation and part in vertical cross section, through the agitator drive mechanism and its associated timing mechanism.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the underside of the top or cover assembly of the gear case.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the bottom assembly of the gear case.

Figure '7 is a view in vertical cross section taken in a plane represented by the line 1-1 of Figure 4 and I -1 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a plan view of the shifter spring associated with the shifter lever.

Figure 9 is a view in perspective of the shifter lever.

Figure 10 is a view in horizontal cross section taken in a plan represented by the line iU-lll of Figure 4.

with a clutch face for receiving and clutchingly Figure 11 is an enlarged plan view of the horizontal ratchets and gear assembly.

Figure 12 is an enlarged plan view of the lower ratchet.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings, the novel timing mechanism is shown as associated with the drive mechanism for a washing machine agitator i or other washing element in the tub 2. In the disclosed embodiment the drive mechanism is enclosed within a gear housing 3 and driven from a conventional source of power supply such as a motor 4 through suitable pulleys 5 and 6 and belt 1. The gear housing is shown as mounted below or depending from the bottom 8 of the tub 2, which bottom also provides the cover for the gear housing and bearing for the agitator shaft. A gear wheel or toothed disc 9 is continuously driven from the power source and is provided with an eccentric crank pin i0 journalled in a slide or collar ll slidably operating in a vertical slot i2 in the rear face of a rack l3. This rack is slidably mounted for reciprocation upon a cross bar or guide shaft II and is provided with teeth l5 in meshing engagement with an agitator gear it loose upon the vertical agitator shaft l1. Pinned to the agitator shaft directly above the gear i6 is a clutch it formed at its lower end engaging the upper end of the gear ii whenever the shifter lever I! raises the gear it. As shown in Figures 4 and 9, this shifter lever is bifurcated toprovide oppositely projecting arms 20, 20, the ends of which are adapted to be received in an annular slot or channel 2i formed at the lower end of the gear i6. In order to operate this lever and force the pinion or gear 5 into engagement I with the clutch l8, the shifter lever is pivotally mounted at 22 within an offset 23 in the gear housing 3. It will thus be seen that operation of this shifter lever to raise and lower the gear 16 controls the clutching of this agitator pinion or gear to the clutch member l9.

The novel mechanism for controlling clutching and declutching 0f the agitator shaft with the continuous drive of the power unit comprises a control knob 24 located or positioned at a convenient location on the exterior of the front panel of the skirt 25 of the washing machine. This knob is provided with spaced markings 26 designating minutes or fractions of minutes of washing time, with the markings being shown as designating from 0 to 20 minutes. Adjacent the knob is located an arrow head 2'! cooperating with the knob for designating the desired period of time. Turning this knob transfers rotary motion through a pair of universal joints '28 and 29, each composed of a universal coupling 30, groove pins 3|, knuckle joint 32 and fork 33 through a connecting rod 34. The universal joint 28 is secured to the stud pin 35 0f the control knob 24 by'one ofthe groove pins 3|. This stud pin is carried in the bushing 36 for the skirt 25, and this bushing in turn is held in the skirt by means of 'a spring disc :31, The knob 24 is preferably knurled"at"38 to facilitate its adjustment and rotation.

Rotary motion from the controlknob, universal joints 28 and 29 and connecting rod 34 is carried into the gear or power housing 3 through a stub shaft 39. Sealing means to prevent oil leakage around this stub shaft is provided by means of an oil seal or grease retainer consisting of a retaining shell 40 and a sealing element 4| adapted to tightly encompass the stub shaft. A spring washer 42 keeps this oil seal or grease retainer under tension.

Secured to the inner end of the stub shaft 39 as by means of a rivet Or other fastening means 43, is a vertical gear 44 and a gear shift'cam 45. This vertical gear 44 is in continuous meshing engagement with a horizontal gear 46 pinned or otherwise secured to a ratchet 41 Positioned directly above but free from the ratchet 41 is another ratchet 46. The upper ratchet 48, lower ratchet 41 and horizontal gear 46 are free to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figures and 11, and in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 5, but these ratchets 4! and 48 are prevented from rotating in an opposite direction by reason of their respective stop 1 springs 49 and 56 secured at one end to the lower face of the bottom plate or gear housing cover 8. The direction in which these ratchets may be rotated is that which occurs when the knob 24 is turned righthanded or in a clockwise direction. Since the vertical gear 44 and the horizontal gear 46 are in continuous mesh, turning of the control knob in the direction indicated by its arrow (see Figure 3), will turn these gears and the lower ratchet 41 to a designated time interval.

As clearly shown in Figures 6 and 10, a ratchet pawl 5| is pivotally mounted upon a hinge pin 52 in a U-shaped bracket 53 secured upon the rack l3 as by means of screws or the like 54. The pawl 5| pivots about its hinge pin 52 and is held outward against the upper ratchet 48 by a leaf spring 55. As this pawl is moved back and forth with the reciprocating rack, it engages With the upper ratchet 48 and moves it ahead one notch on each stroke. The upper ratchet has one deep notch 56, so that the pawl is allowed to drop :far enough into this deep notch as to engage in the lower ratchet 41 and rotate the latter. By having but one deep notch it will be seen that the lower ratchet will be advanced one notch for every complete revolution of the upper ratchet. The speed at which the pawl moves back and forth and the number of notches in the lower ratchet 41 are so determined that this lower ratchet rotates once for the 20 minute period shown on the face or dial of the control knob 24, which knob also rotates once in that same period. The positfbn on the lower ratchet which corresponds tothe place on the knob between the adjacent numerals 0 and 20 contains no notches as shown at 51 in Figures 10 and 11. Therefore, when the ratchet 4! has advanced to this position, the pawl 5| slides back and forth on a smooth surface and the timer action ceases to operate. The last three notches 58 on the lower ratchet 41 adjacent the smooth surface 51 are higher or not as deep as the remainder and in substantial registry with adjacent notches on the ratchet 48 so that when they are reached the pawl will engage these notches 58 on every stroke and quickly, through the intermeshing gears 44 and 46, shift the agitator gear l6 out of mesh with the clutch |8.

As seen in Figure '7, the actual shifting of the agitator gear out of mesh with the clutch is accomplished by means of the gear shift cam 45 having its cam surface bearing against a cam surface 59 on the upstanding shoulder 60 formed or provided on the connecting web 6| of the shifter lever l9. about the stub shaft 22 with its opposite ends 63 seated against the base 64 of the housing or gear case 3, and an intermediate part 65 hearing against the under side of the connecting web 6| and tending to lift this web and its bifurcations or arms 20 soas to raise the agitator gear l6 into clutching engagement with the clutch l8.

As the stub shaft 39 for the shifter assembly is rotated, the gear shift cam 45 which rides against the cam surface 60 on the shifter lever |9 causes this shifter lever to rotate around its hinge pin or journal 22 and lower the agitator gear I6 to pull it completely out of engagement with the clutch I8. This shifting out of gear occurs on just one portion of the cam 45, which corresponds to the position between 0 and 20 minutes on the control knob. When the control knob is turned in a clockwise direction to the 20 minute position, the cam 45 turns to the position shown in Figure 7 in which the cam surface 59 of the shifter lever i9 is rotated to a position just past the drop in the cam 45 which has allowed the shifter spring 62 to push upwardly and elevate the shifter lever I9 and force the pinion or gear I6 into engagement with the clutch l8. As the clutch is pinned to the agitator shaft II, this shaft is caused to rotate as the rack |3 reciprocates on its guide shaft H. The

' knob 24 may now be turned from any position from the 20 minute period to 0, and at whichever position the knob is turned to the machine will operate for the period of time indicated by the arrow bead 21.

Due to the fact that the control knob 24 is positively geared to the lower ratchet 41 by means of the horizontal and vertical gears 44 and 46, it is evident that the lower ratchet may be advanced manually to any position and that the pawl 5|, by means of its timing action in A shifter spring 62 is disposed pose of quickly advancing this lower ratchet to the off position; that is, to the sectioni'51 that contains no notches, so that through the horizontal and vertical gears the gear shift cam 45 will be rotated quickly to the position which actuates the shifter lever l'9 to pull the agitator pinion l6 out of engagement with the clutch l8 and disengage power to the agitator shaft l'l.

tit

This is to prevent any long time operation of a I partially engaged agitator I and also to prevent the agitator pinion [6 from being at any time in a position ofbut partial engagement. It also obtains sufficient movement to shift the pinion I6 completely out of engagement with the clutch l8 without having too steep acam and without transmitting too much power to the pawl 5| which obviously puts in the work necessary to disengage the agitator pinion. Where this is spread over three notches on a gradual cam the amount of force necessary is less than if it were shifted completely out of gear on one notch and with a very steep cam.

I claim:

1. In a laundry machine of the oscillating agitator type having a reciprocating rack, an agitator shaft, a pinion loose on the shaft and in continuous mesh with the reciprocating rack but adapted to be clutched to the shaft for oscillating the agitator, timing mechanism for automatically controlling and timing the washing operation comprising a manually actuated control member rotatably mounted on the exterior of the laundry machine and provided with designations of time for which the washing operation may be set, a shifter for vertically moving the pinion into and out of clutching engagement with the agitator shaft, a spring for moving the shifter and pinion into clutching engagement, a cam for moving said shifter and pinion out of clutching engagement to disengage power to the agitator, and a ratchet, pawl, and gear assembly associated with the rack and control member for actuating the cam and moving the shifter upon the expiration of a designated time period to declutch the pinion and stop the washing operation.

2. Mechanism for automatically controlling and timing the washing operation in a laundry machine having a tub and an oscillating shaft for a washing element, comprising a continuous drive member, a driven member in meshing engagement with said drive member but adapted to be moved into and out of clutching engagement with the oscillating shaft, and a control device associated with the drive and driven members whereby to automatically declutch the driven member from the oscillating shaft upon the expiration of a predetermined washing period, said control device including a connecting shaft, a control knob on the exterior of the machine provided with designated washing periods and mounted upon one end of the connecting shaft, .a cam mounted on the other end of the connecting shaft, a pivotally mounted shifter adapted to shift the driven member into and out of clutching engagement and having a cam surface adapted to be engaged by the cam, a spring adapted to move the shifter and driven member into clutching engagement til) with the oscillating shaft, and means associated with the drive member and cam for actuating the shifter at the end of a designated predetermined washing period and declutch the driven member to stop the washing operation.

3. Mechanism for automatically controlling the period of a washing operation in a laundry machine having a tub and an oscillating shaft for a washing lement, comprising a continuously operating drive and driven member in meshing engagement, an oscillating shaft upon which the driven member is loosely mounted but to which it may be clutched, and control mechanism for automatically declutching the driven member upon the expiration of a predetermined washing period for which the washing operation has been set and including a control knob on the exterior of the machine having a series of designated washing periods, a cam connected to the control knob, a pivotally mounted shifter adapted to shift the driven member into and out of clutching engagement and having a cam surface adapted to be engaged by the cam for moving the driven member out of clutching engagement, a spring adapted to move the shifter and driven member into clutching engagement with the oscillating shaft, and means associated with the drive mem-, her and cam for actuating the cam to move the shifter and declutch the driven member at the end of a designated predetermined wa hing period to stop the washing operation.

4. In a laundry machine of the agitator type having a drive mechanism including a reciprocating rack and a pinion loose on the agitator shaft but adapted to be clutched thereto for oscillating th shaft and agitator, a control member containing designated time intervals whereby the operator may set this member for a predetermined time period at which the machine is to operate, a shifter for moving the pinion into or out of clutching engagement, tension means for moving said shifter and pinion into and main taining the pinion in clutching engagement, a cam for moving said shifter and pinion out of clutching engagement against the tension of the spring. a pair of ratchets associated with said rack and provided with notches synchronized with the timed reciprocations of said rack and the designated period of time on said control mem her, and gearing associated with one of said ratchets and with said cam for causing the cam to move the shifter and disengage the pinion from the rack when the time period expires for which the control member is set.

5. In a laundry machine of the agitator type having a continuously operating drive and driven member, an agitator shaft upon which the driven member is loosely and slidably mounted, a spring actuated shifter for elevating and clutching the driven member to the shaft, a cam having a cam surface adapted to engage and depress the s ifter and move the driven member out of clutching engagement with the shaft, a control knob located at an accessible place on the exterior of the machine and provided with designated time periods for the washing operation. a connection between the knob and cam whereby the cam is rotated upon movement of the control knob to thereby disengag the spring actuated shifter and perrnit it to clutch the driven member to the shaft for starting the washing operation, and mechanism associated with the drive member and cam for moving the com to a position to engage and move the hifter and driven member out of for clutching the driven member to the clutch and shaft, a cam for vertically moving the shifter and driven member out of clutching engagement with the clutch and shaft, and timing mechanism for rotating the cam to automatically release the 5 clutching engagement at the expiration of any designated period of time.

' THOMAS 11 SMI'I'H. 

